~Kai~
Twenty minutes. That’s how long I’d been confined in this car with Berenice, and I already regret following through with Klaus’ directive.
Everything about her is driving my senses crazy. She hasn’t said a thing since we left the mansion. She kept on wiping her cheeks, staring out the window, and sniffing from time to time. She truly looks vulnerable, pained, and broken. But that is not what bothers me. I’ve been with women of all shapes and sizes and attitudes. It’s not my first time dealing with a crying chick.
What bothered me was her mere presence, her scent, which filled the car with a sweet and comforting cinnamon scent. It had the opposite effect on me. Like a puppy, I wanted to sniff more of that scent. I want to smell it from the source. I want to grab her and bury my face in the crook of her neck. Better yet, rub her all over me.
From my peripheral vision, I got to admire her closely without the danger of adding another purple blotch to my face. She wore a skin-tight shirt and jeans, showcasing her delicious curves. She wasn’t skinny, but she wasn’t full-figured either. Just the right dips and bumps in all the right places.
“Pull over,” she said; her voice, a sweet melodic tone, had my mind jumping on thoughts of how my name would sound if she moaned it.
Fucking hell, Kai. Focus. She’s Klaus Martinelli’s sister, for fuck’s sake! She’s practically off-limits.
“On that gasoline station,” she added.
I followed her instructions without saying a word. She could use bathroom time to touch up and fix herself. Traveling with a woman with makeup and a messed-up face is not a pretty sight. Add my black eye into the mix; it’ll be a sure red flag for highway patrols. And I could also use some phone time with Klaus and get instructions on where to go and how long I’d be on babysitting duties.
She slid out of the car and headed straight to the convenience store. Once I was sure she was safe inside, I pulled out my phone and called Klaus.
“Where are you now?” he asked through the cacophony of gusting wind, water, and engine.
“We kept driving south,” I stated. The windshield and the store’s glass walls blurred my sight of Berenice. She kept cruising from aisle to aisle, filling her blue basket.
“Stay with her until further notice, Kai,” his baritone was outed by the wind. It sounds like they are on a boat, moving fast in the waters. “They couldn’t find Dominguez in the mansion. He might try to get in touch with Berenice, so keep your guards up all the time.”
I grunted under my breath, the background noise on his side downing my groan of protest.
This means I am on my own… with that brat. The thought shoots a strange tingling sensation spiraling down my spine. Was it annoyance or excitement? I am not sure, but this voice at the back of my head saying I should ask him to relieve me of this task turned to riots.
Just the two of us. Together for an indefinite period of time.
My cock twitched. I clenched the steering wheel tight, my knuckles turned white.
What the fuck, Kai?
Yes, she’s hot and gorgeous, but this is not the time to think with your other head, dammit!
“Is there somewhere I should take her in particular?” I asked instead, my molars grinding.
“The less I know of her whereabouts, the better.” He paused for a beat. “Listen, Kai. I know you’d rather help us on the ground than take care of Berenice, but I’m counting on you. You two are of relative age. Please take care of her for me.”
How can I ask him to relieve me of babysitting duty when he sounds like that? Desperate and tired. I had been working for the Martinelli mafia for three years, and I had never heard Klaus speak like that, much less the word ‘please.’
“Of course,” I sighed, those words leaving a sour taste on my tongue. “I’ll keep her safe, Bossman.”
“Thanks, Kai, I owe you one,” he murmured.
I pinched my eyes closed once the call ended. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’
I played with the radio dial, eyes darting on the convenience store to keep my mind busy. Berenice steps out of the store with a bag full of supplies. She headed straight to the passage beside the convenience store, following the arrow with the words ‘Rest Room.’
Hearing a familiar tune, I settled on Atlantis by Seafret. Fingers drumming on the steering wheel, I bobbed my head and hummed the lyrics. Listening to music kept my mind busy until I realized it was taking Berenice too long in the bathroom. Four songs passed. Girls take forever to feel decent about themselves, but I have a disturbing feeling about this.
Stepping out of the car, I clenched my jaw, hoping she didn’t do what I thought she did. She already put me in shame and too much trouble; I hope she’s smart enough not to run away from me.
The hallway between the convenience store wall facing the public bathrooms was empty, littered with dried leaves, empty bottles of alcohol, and rubbish. At the end of the alley was a trash bin, wedged against the cracked decorated wall, distorted by time.
I stared at the fading ‘Female’ wood sign on the door, knocking once, twice. “Hey, we have to get going.”
I got no response. Kicking the door open, there goes my answer.
I raked my fingers through my hair, scanning the perimeter; anger had my blood simmering. Hopping on the bin, I skimmed the empty lot beyond the wall. There was nothing in it apart from a few fruit-bearing trees.
Maybe this is good news. I could just tell Klaus his sister is a fucking brat who didn’t want my protection. But then that would get me on his bad side. Whichever road I take, I am on the losing end.
“Fucking brat,” I grumbled under my breath.
~Benny~Twilight blanketed the city of Granada when I reached the capital. My feet hurt. Sweat dribbled down my spine, but I still had to find a place to stay for the night.Taking the road and hitching a ride was off the table. That’s where Kai would look for me first, so I endured the five-mile walk from the convenience store to town.It’s an advantage that I know my way around the city. Before the night deepened, I fixed a change of clothing for tomorrow, a place to stay, awaiting dinner while the lavender-scented bubble bath alleviated my aching muscles.White foam oozing surrounded me like clouds above water. I rested my head on the bath pillow and stared at the cream-colored ceiling, warm overhead lights casting an intimate atmosphere in the bathroom.I sighed, concentrating on my next step instead of the pinching sensation in my chest. Dwelling with my pain is on the back end of my priorities. I might not have to deal with it if I end up dead. I have to get off of everyone’s ra
~Kai~Defiance was written all over her face. Those piercing green eyes burned with rage determined to burn me to the ground, and it’s fucking turning me on. I had to keep my hands busy with the food on the tray. My palms were itching to make her submit to me, to have a taste of the gorgeous brat standing before me in nothing but a bathrobe.Droplets of water dribbled down her exposed skin. My jaw clenches at the thought of her answering the door only wearing that. Her hair was a dark mess in a bun above her head. A few locks, wet from her bath, stick onto her neck. The robe ends in the middle of her thighs. I knew she had a gorgeous body, but her skin… damn, it’s tanned to perfection, and I want my lips to map every inch of her.If only she wasn’t my job. If only she wasn’t the boss’s daughter. I could look past her bratty attitude and make her mine. And fuck, I badly want to make her mine; it’s driving me crazy that she’s off limits.Staring at her right now, really staring at her e
~Benny~ The lights were off. Slivers of moonlight’s silver streak fusing with the lamppost’s orange glow from the street passed through the gaps of the balcony drapes. Apart from utter silence, my uninvited company’s even breathing on the couch had been the only sound drifting inside the room. Eyes glued to the ceiling, I eyed the silhouette of a tree branch in front of the hotel swaying, moving in sluggish motion. The digital clock on the bedside table ticks every second. It was hushed as though a silent count down before I dropped a decision. I’ve been silently pondering on what I should do next. There are a lot of things I should consider. Kai and those three guns were a testament to my vulnerability and the power of the people I am trying to outwit. But my need to be left alone weighed heavier than my want to be safe. Today, the gravity of my choices hit me like a raging wave, a wake-up call. For months, I have depended on people around me. Tony, I let my love for him lead me
~Kai~ Other than me, there is someone else following Berenice. It’s different from those three in Granada; this one is professional. I don’t know when and where he picked up a trail of her scent, but I could feel the danger up close. I’m unsure if he realizes I am following Berenice, but whoever this was, he’s good. No one was following Berenice from the hotel to the cafe, University, and bus. The bus picked up tourists and travelers on the way here. Maybe he was one of the passengers. But I didn’t feel any threat until here. She glanced at her side and over her shoulder. The way her shoulders went rigid was a tell that she could feel eyes watching her as well. If something happens to her, it would be all on me. I shouldn’t have let her walk out of that room; now, I had put her in a dangerous situation. I only wanted to know what she was planning to do. Where she’d go and how she’d proceed after learning that Tony’s people were after her. Do a repeat of what I did in the hotel
~ KAI ~ A pool of steaky crimson liquid on the ground was my indication that a bullet miraculously pierced the gunman. I pulled the trigger blindly, aiming to distract him, but one lucky bullet must’ve struck an artery. I followed the blood trail cautiously. Howls of police and ambulance sirens had already prevailed over the once busy atmosphere of the harbor, blanketing the air with anxiety and fear. Reaching the fifth corner away from Berenice, I still found no trace of the gunman. I need to find him, question him and eliminate him. I have to do it quickly. Keeping Berenice safe is still my top priority. Soon, the police will sweep these parts of the port. And once they discover the woman’s dead body, alarm and panic will soar. For decades, cartel wars cast fear on the people of Spain. Cases like this will likely draw excessive attention from the local and international media. And getting the Martinelli’s tangled in this mess is the last thing the Italian mafia needs. We already
~BENNY~Dread rose from the pit of my belly when I opened my eyes.The bed where I laid on my back sways. No, the entire room rocked in a steady, familiar, and daunting rhythm.I blinked hard, pushing away the pull to go back to sleep, ignoring the stabbing pain all over my body, particularly in my midsection and throat.Four corner lights diffuse a soft, warm glow on the room. The salty tang of the air made me nauseous. Realization dawned on me. I am in a cabin… in a boat. I couldn’t hear any other sound apart from the soft hum of the engine and the continuous crashing of waves. We are far from land; how far is the question and knowing the answer scared the shit out of me.Chills coiled down my spine. Thinking of anything other than how vast the waters were sailing is an impossible feat.I shook my head, clutching the white covers that pooled on my waist as I sat up. I closed my eyes and pinched myself, hoping to wake up from this nightmare, but no. The room was still the same when I
~KAI~They say that we’d meet someone we’d follow blindly to the pits of hell every once in a while. Burn for them, take a bullet for them without thinking twice. For me, that’s Klaus Martinelli. I trust that man’s judgment without needing to ask questions.He told me I could infiltrate the Russian mafia and make it out alive, and I did. His trust in my abilities was more than I have for myself. But what fucking qualifies me as a babysitter? Only Klaus knows.He refused to relieve me of babysitting duties. He kept repeating how perfect I was for this job.In my opinion, Ro would do an excellent job in taking care of someone like Berenice. He was made to lead an army and take care of a family at the same time. He has bottomless patience for kids, while me... I hate brats! I am one second away from gagging Berenice or knocking her unconscious just so I can continue doing this job.My clothes were soaking. My mind was fogged with anger and irritation. There’s a brat I need to deal with,
~Kai~I know it’s not a good idea. It was the worst idea since my cock was still as stiff as a pole; a banner could be attached to its tip. Red flags waves in my line of vision, tunneling my mind on a one-track path.Her body against mine, her feminine scent surrounding me… my mind swirled with different ways I could make her forget about her anxiety.Doesn’t she realize what she’s asking from me? I am a full-blooded man, and she’s a fragile lamb I could easily devour if I wanted. We’d be already in one bed, far from any disturbance.“... please,” she added when I kept my silence.My shoulders went rigid. Her voice was rough and heavy with fatigue.How can I possibly resist her begging like that?Despite my better judgment, I scrambled up the floor and sat on the bed, stretching my body parallel beside her.I don’t dare look her way. If I do, I don’t think I can control this rage bubbling inside me.“Thank you,” she sighed in relief, taking my breath away when she tucked her body into